The MHC Blog

Powerful Business Insights for Succesful Leaders

Meet Claire Donnelly, a solid HR Consultant with over 30 years experience in the profession. In her words, there isn't a HR problem she hasn't seen before. She is the Co-founder of MHC Consulting who's mission is to give business owners back their freedom and allow them to grow their team and business in a sustainable, manageable and more enjoyable way.Claire takes on the role of an outsourced HR Director for many business owners. On behalf of a client she will get involved in the HR operations of a business and help the business owner make the right decision so that all HR decisions are cost efficient to the business and have a positive effect on the health of the business. As she says in the episode HR does affect a company's Profit and Loss Accounts.

The transition from employee to business owner is a liberating one filled with freedom and excitement. However, it can also be a difficult one. Shifting from a single area of expertise to working and leading across many disciplines often falls outside the comfort zone for many.

In the early stages, you cope – yes, there’s a lot to do but fuelled by passion, you’re happy to work harder than you have ever done before and the learning will be hard but deeply satisfying.

But what happens when you start to scale up? What happens when the sheer volume of work becomes too much and you become responsible for a team?

This is where good leadership (and delegation) skills are invaluable and you move from being a business owner to a business leader. I have helped many clients develop the skill set required for this process and often a mental shift is required for this to be successful. Here are some of the most important tips to help you develop into a great leader.

Business strategy and planning – it’s often difficult to find the time to remove ourselves from the business and start planning for the future. In today’s world, where we’re connected 24/7, distractions and ‘urgent’ work often reclaim our thinking time. But a one-day strategy session will make you feel more in control and ensure you don’t miss out on valuable opportunities. As 2016 draws to an end, here are four review questions to focus on which will help the planning process.

This article was first featured in CPI Financial January 12th 2017. Read it here

When the nature of a business evolves or the structure needs amending, significant changes can be felt by all employees. It is never easy to manage a business at the best of times, but when change is thrown into the mix, your managerial leadership skills really come into play. A Danish study of over 92,000 employees across more than 1,500 companies concluded that organisation change results in increased stress-related illnesses for employees. Companies that manage change effectively are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their competitors financially, with their employee satisfaction higher than those who do not implement changes correctly.

The importance of bringing a team together to work hand-in-hand with each other is something that is often talked about but rarely implemented. Strong leadership is one of the elements that will ensure a team stays together and continues to be efficient. By developing good leadership skills, you will avoid issues such as high staff turnover, micromanagement, conflict in the workplace, and low productivity. As a result, your actions and behaviour determine your team’s success. Here are five ways to inspire your team in 2017.